


Midnight Sun

by CommanderCeleste



Series: Millennia [2]
Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Character Study, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Peace, Troubled minds and cuddles, deep thoughts, fluffy af
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 07:15:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25346827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommanderCeleste/pseuds/CommanderCeleste
Summary: It was quiet outside. Shockingly so.He stares deep into the cityscape, wondering. Expecting. Cautiously letting his guard down; deep down fearing the worst.Silently praying that Hell will indeed stay put, just for one night.As the distant chime of the bells reach the twelfth ring, he makes up his mind. Sleep would elude him tonight. Again.The curtains, translucid and soft as a feather, billow gently as the wind sweeps past him and into their room. He holds his sides with his hands, rubbing gently, and waiting for the shivers to pass. Even when they do indeed pass, he presses on.He doesn’t have to heart to wake him up if it isn’t absolutely necessary for him to do so.A defeated sigh escapes from his lips when he hears the wooden floorboard creak behind him.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Nicky | Nicolo di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: Millennia [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1834132
Comments: 9
Kudos: 90





	Midnight Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 2 is up. I'm not gonna lie, I'm SHOCKED at how fast I managed to write this. Pretty damn proud of myself rn. 
> 
> This one was initially going to be WAY more depressing and angsty, but as I was writing it, I started losing myself in the dialogue and making it the exact opposite, somehow. 
> 
> I still incorporated the angst, but I managed to do it in a way that felt WAY less heavy-handed and blatant. Again, I think we have more than enought of that irl, so might as well acknowledge it, but not dwell on it too much. 
> 
> This turned out to be so goddamn sweet and cheesy it's giving me diabetes. 
> 
> ENJOY!

It was quiet outside. Shockingly so.

He stares deep into the cityscape, wondering. Expecting. Cautiously letting his guard down; deep down fearing the worst.

Silently praying that Hell will indeed stay put, just for one night. 

As the distant chime of the bells reach the twelfth ring, he makes up his mind. Sleep would elude him tonight. Again. 

The curtains, translucid and soft as a feather, billow gently as the wind sweeps past him and into their room. He holds his sides with his hands, rubbing gently, and waiting for the shivers to pass. Even when they do indeed pass, he presses on. 

He doesn’t have to heart to wake him up if it isn’t absolutely necessary for him to do so.

A defeated sigh escapes from his lips when he hears the wooden floorboard creak behind him.

The silence remains as Nicky reaches his side, marveling at the view.

It actually is a damn good view. He’s just not in the mood to enjoy it as thoroughly as he’d like to. His mind can only process or care about so much information simultaneously.

\- It’s so peaceful out there – 

\- You sound almost as shocked as I am about it – 

An amused huff escapes from Nicky’s nose, a sly smile complimenting the gesture.

\- And yet, here you are, leaving the bed all for myself –

\- Figured there was no reason to wake you – 

\- You seem to forget how immortal minds work, luce mia – He stretches his arm over his back, using his elbow as leverage - I find it… - He yawns - near impossible to get some shut-eye if you're up and about worrying about… whatever it is you’re troubled with on this particularly pleasant night – 

\- Didn’t mean to be a nuisance – 

\- Harr harr. You know I don’t mind – 

\- I do – 

Nicky places an arm around his shoulders, his fingers rubbing soothingly at his chest. 

\- Want to talk about it? – 

\- I think that would qualify as a genuine nuisance -

\- Well, yes. With that attitude it’s bound to be one. For you, mostly. Again, I don’t… - 

\- You don’t mind – He places his lips and fondly kisses Nicky’s brow, wishing he could convey just how grateful he is. He can be quite a handful time and time again – I still find it hard to believe, but I know you don’t - 

-That’s settled then – 

\- Indeed – 

They stay quiet, the only sound to be heard being Nicky’s fingers, doing marvels in easing his troubled, agitated mind. 

Rather than insisting on him to talk, Nicky doubles down on the caresses’, placing his adept lips on his bare shoulders, intertwining his fingers with his own. 

The world stops spinning for a short while soon after. 

\- They were out celebrating just hours ago – 

\- And they weren’t the slightest bit quiet or discreet about it – 

His turn to huff amusedly.

\- But to be fair, we have a lot to celebrate. I think given the circumstances joy was a little overdue –

He concedes Nicky’s optimism and tries to contribute with a bit of his own, despite him not being fully convinced its 100% warranted.

\- I guess it was – 

Nicky seems to take a breath, ready to speak up and incentivize him to spill. He hesitates, focusing those blue diamonds of his on him instead. Nicky then clutches his fingers and his chest more tightly, resting his chin on his shoulder. 

He can’t help but grin, appreciative of his patience.

\- I just… wish they’d learn, you know? – 

Nicky’s arms reposition themselves so they’re parallel and pressed over his chest, reaching upwards, his hands now laying still over his shoulders.

\- They _are_ slow-learners –

\- Annoyingly so – 

\- But then again, they lack the perspective we possess – 

Nicky stares at him, his lips resting near the crook of his neck, arms still pressed tightly (and comfortingly) in place.

\- Fair – He licks at his lips, his throat suddenly feeling hoarse due to the bottled emotions, waiting to burst out.

Nicky sighs, his own eyes closing and reaching out for the emotion and release that Nicky just exhaled. 

_This gorgeous malaka* will be the death of me. He’s too damn kind for his own good._

He takes a deep breath and lets it all out. 

-These goddamn… - 

He can’t even think of a word to do justice at the anger he feels for humanity in this heated moment.

\- Slow-learners? - 

\- _Albalha' *_ – 

\- Ouch – 

\- Oh, give me a break –

\- No, I… I’m with you on this one – 

\- You are? – 

\- You’re kidding, aren’t you? – 

\- You know I’m not. It’s just… odd – 

\- That they are indeed _Albalha'_? –

\- That you and I are actually in agreement, for once – 

\- You make it sound like we’re at each other’s throats all the time – 

\- We've… - His chuckles soon become a fully-fledged fit of laughter – We’ve… we’ve been known… to disagree rather heatedly in the past, _Nuri*_ –

Nicky’s eyes turn wide as memories start flashing through his mind, the one Joe means in particular being especially vivid and memorable.

Laughter fills the room as they clutch at each other tightly, struggling to gain back their now non-existent composure. 

\- It’s YOUR fault! YOU. JUST. WOULDN’T . DIE! – 

As tears well up in his eyes, he turns around, joyful, lacking in restraint, embracing this… _maláka-nuri-bastardo_ * that his heart can’t help but fall in love with every single day, all over again.

Laughter dies down eventually. It takes a rather decent amount of time for it to do so though. It’s nice.

Frustration and disappointment are still boiling up inside him, deep down. 

He longs to bring it up. Get it off his chest.

As they settle down on the bed, limbs tangled up; warmth emanating from their bodies; hearts still thumping due to the amusement, he decides to let it slide, at least for now.

Nicky nuzzles into his chest, his arms wrap impossibly tight around him, protectively and with a modicum of possessiveness. 

He can’t bring himself to care about the never-learning imbeciles outside in this moment. He’s still frustrated, and angry. 

But right now? 

His fingers caress Nicky’s golden hair. He takes a deep breath, taking him in, drowning in his obscenely intoxicating scent. He can feel Nicky’s smile growing as the hands placed over his chest soothe his troubled mind. 

His soul suddenly feels overcome with peace.

This gentle soul. The light of his life. 

How could he possibly care what humanity has failed to learn, even after centuries of mistakes?

Why trouble himself with the atrocities they’ve committed, when Nicoló di Genova, the most beautiful soul he’s had the privilege to love and share a long (really long) life with, lies next to him, easing all the sorrow he’s endured, giving him faith that hey, maybe this time they will learn?

He would gladly intervene, step in the line of fire, take a typhoon of bullets and white phosphorous and all and every single kind of bullshit humanity could concoct, if it meant spending another eternity tangled up in Nicky’s skilled and light-as-feather touch.

In this blissful, heavenly moment, he would gladly die another thousand deaths just to breathe his air. Feel those sinful, sweet-as-rain lips, lighting fire across every inch of his skin. Lose himself in those wide, deep and captivating set of eyes that still thrill him to no end and get his heart racing, every time they find themselves in the pinnacle and heat of pleasure or in the quiet haven they now find themselves, trying to reconcile the slumber that often tries to elude them.

As his conscience fades and his eyes grow heavy and restless, his heart feels full and tranquil. 

He finds it in his heart to let it go, and for now, settle in being the man that Nicky has chosen to spend almost a millennia with. 

For now, he decides that yes, he deserves to feel this safe and overcome with euphoria. 

Tonight, and for as long as he has the chance to be by his side, it’s more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> So, that's that! 
> 
> I LOVED the way I ended this one. It was so blatantly and unashamedly romantic. Some might even say... incurable (Heh. Get it?).
> 
> Translations, in order, are the following:  
> * Malaka - Greek for Asshole  
> *Albalha' - Arabic (Google doesn't specify if it's egyptian or modern standard, sorry!) for Idiots  
> * Nuri - Arabic for "My Light" (Yes, I'm a hopeless romantic. Sue me)  
> * Malaka-Nuri-Bastardo - A really bold and crazy mix of Greek, Arabic and Italian (in that order) that linguist's have agreed roughly translates as Asshole/My Light/Bastard. It's a Yusuf term of endearment (TM). You know what an incurable romantic he is.
> 
> I'll keep an eye out and edit out any formatting errors as per usual. Comments and constructive criticism are EXTREMELY appreciated. Don't be shy!
> 
> Thanks SO MUCH for giving me a chance if you read this! It's short, sweet and I LOVED writing this. Hope you guys/gals/NB pals enjoy it!


End file.
